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Cigarette Sales Ban at Newsstands Revoked

The sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at newsstands has been legalized just a week after it was banned, following objections by newsstand owners to the directive issued by the Tehran Municipality’s Organizing Industries and Occupations Center (OIOC). “But cigarette packs should not be displayed behind the kiosk glass,” said Reza Ghadimi, OIOC managing director.

The owners of a number of kiosks, whose stalls were sealed for violating the directive, maintained that selling tobacco is their main source of income “as the print media and snacks do not sell enough to make a living,” reported Persian daily Etemad.

Noting that the sealed stands will be able to reopen after owners sign a written pledge, Ghadiri stressed that “tobacco sale has a set of strict regulations across the world, and we must make tobacco harder to supply and access as well.”